Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-04-30
THE BOYCOTT.
HOW 1T IS CARRIED ON AMONG
NATIVES OF INDIA.
Very Curious Examples of the Prac.
tice-Whole Families Boy.
cotted for Many Years
What Gold will Do.

Boycotting, differing in some partlcu-
lars from the way in which it is done in
the land where the English term orig
mated, has been practiced for ages in
India. Says a Hindoo writer in the
ST. James Gazette: There is great differ
ence between Irish and Hindoo boycott
ing. The former is based mainly on
political, semi-political or fiscal reasons;
whereas the latter is practiced on purely
social or religious grounds. Then the
Irish is severer than the Hindoo method
in this sense-that no tradcsman will sell
anything to the boycotted man, who is
more or less like prisoner in his own
house; whereas boycotted Hindoo can
buy anything anywhere or go to any place
he likes, only people will not 90 to his
house or associate with him or his family
in any way.
On the other hand, the Hindoo is
severer than the Irish boycotting in that
the latter may be only temporary, and
rises at the caprice of the boycotters
where's the former is often permanent, or
can be done away with only by going
through certain expiatory rites or costly
ceremonies, which come hard, even on
the richer classes. A man may be boy
cottcd in Ireland for no fault of his own,
but in India boycotting follows upon a
breach of observance of some time
honored custom, or by any public offcnse
against traditional notions of propriety.
Indian boycotting is allied to outcasting,
but is quite distinct from it and not half
SO severe. A man Can lose his caste only by
breaking one of its well-detined rules,
which are quite different from mere
customs for observances. An outcast
man is necessarily boycottcd; but boy
( cottcd man keeps his caste all right as
long as he does not act against its rules.
Again, q man may be Outcast, but not his
| family for that reason; yet his relations
will be boycotted if they associate with
/ him.
Let me now cite some examples: Some
years ago a learned Pundit gave his
daughter in marriage when she was few
years older than the prescribed marriage
able age among the Hindoos; and the of
Tense was rendered doubly heinous by the
| pcrpetrator being a Brahmin of high
order He was strictly boycotted accord
ingly; and, l believe, notwithstanding
his great reputation as a scholar and be-
nevolent person, and in spite of his en-
! deavors to propitiatc the Brahmins in
many ways, he is still avoided by ortho-
| dox Hindoos. A whole family has been
| boycottcd for receiving and associating
with one of its members who returned
from England and had lost his caste
through eating with Englishmcn. One
| gentleman has been boycottcd forever for
getting his widowed daughter married.
If anybody's son or daughtcr-in-law as
sociates with non-IIindoos publicly the
offending individual is outcasted and the
whole family is boycotted. If a son does
not mourn for his deceased father in the
| prescribed manner he is Eoycottcd. In
! some parts of India men are boycotted
| for wearing trousers of European fashion
! Or indeed, any dress that was not worn
by their ancestors of thousand years
ago. A well known historical example of
Hindoo boycotting is that of the Jeypore
! royal family, which was boycotted for
hundreds of years by the other Raipoot
royal families for being the first Hindoo
family of priccely rank who offered
daughter in marriage to mogu En-
peror. In Rajputana whole tribes are
often boycotted if somebody does not
properly observe the traditional customs
| Vi lOliliS u CONNECTION Win IL loNCl CuSN
or with non-Hindoos.
But nowadays boycotting can be raised
| in India by judicious use of the al
mighty gold. l may mention we'll
known case. A distinguished Hindoo
gentleman and merchant of a large Indian
| town was boycotted for reforming pro-
| pensities. His old orthodox mother, who
lived in the country, on the occasion of
religious festival directed the servants as
! usual to distribute offerings of rice, fruits
and sweetmeats among the Brahmins of
the neighborhood. To man they re-
fused to accept the same on the ground
| that her son was deserving her caste.
The old lady was deeply chagrined and
began to be mortally afraid of the destina-
| ton of her soul after death. On hearing
| this her son went down to his country
house and ordered the servants to take
| the offerings again to the Brahmins, this
| time placing five rupees on each of the
! plates. The cxpedient answered wonder
fully well. The very Brahmins who a
| few hours before had turned away the
servants ANONYMOUSLY now came run
| ning.to the merchants house and literally
/ scrambled for the presents. This story
seems to Justify the saying of another
rich Hindoo that "caste was in his iron
chest"
Boycotting and outcasting are made
| doubly oppressive to IIindoo women, and
| for the most tritling reasons. A married
woman not putting the sjndoor "a red
POWDER on the parting of her hair is boy
cotted. In the country if a mother-in-
law eats or lives in the house of her SON
in-law before her daughter has child
she will at once be boycotted A young
married lady was boycotted for not OBJ
serving some ceremony at the birth of
her child A man can regain his caste by
performing his expiatory rites; but an
outcast woman, especially if she has
broken away from the zenana or asso-
ciated with non Iindoos is never taken
| back to her caste.